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A Sustainable Pedal to the Metal

March 20, 2017

Lori C. Melton

UMD Clean Snowmobile Team finishes its 2017 season ahead of the pack.

The Clean Snowmobile Team is celebrating a nearly flawless run at the SAE International Clean Snowmobile Challenge with an engine demonstration on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 1 – 2 p.m. The team will gather in the High Bay Lab of the Civil Engineering Building, 1049 University Drive.

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge tasks competitors with transforming their machines into quieter, more efficient models.

After a rollercoaster of a week March 6 – 11, 2017, the 12-person team is celebrating a third place win the Internal Combustion category. In addition, they also received:

The Denso Innovation Award

The E-Controls Emissions Strategy Award

The Faurecia Most Innovative Emissions Design Award

The NGK Cold Start Award

The Horiba Emissions Award

Best Design Presentation and Design Paper Award

Most Practical Solution Award

UMD was competing against 18 other universities and received these awards despite experiencing an engine failure on day one. Team president Jacob Schofield says this resulted in missing a few events and lost points, but after an engine swap, the Bulldogs were able to finish strong. “Everyone has learned so much from this club,” said Schofield. “We gained skills in problem solving, creativity, teamwork, and leadership.”

Vice President Nels Eide said experiences, like this, help with life after graduation. “The technical, hands-on learning, as well as the project management and overcoming challenges is preparing us for what we’ll experience in the workplace.”

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is an engineering design competition for graduate and undergraduate students across the country.